The Truth About the Lie
by TheTrooper
Summary: An assassin living in the Imperial City has to deal with corrupt guards and complete anarchy. Can he fight to stop the corruption? You have to read to find out!


* * *

DISCLAMER: I DO NOT OWN OBLIVION OR ANY OF THE CHARACTERS ETC... except the fiction ones that I made up.

Enjoy!

* * *

Sometimes things just don't work out the way you want them to. And this is the story of mine.

The Imperial City is in chaos. Completely out of control. All of the guards are corrupt, running around town and executing any citizen who can't pay their taxes. Things have changed so much over the years. Helpless citizens who chose to get on the wrong side of the Imperialists are thrown into the arena and made meat to the Grand Champion, Merlin Helowood, a high elf that conjugates up some of the best magic you'll ever imagine. Damn.

I don't care if the guards try to take me. I get pissed real easy and all I have to do is take out my dagger and stab it through that bastard's stomach. I'm in the Dark Brotherhood. In fact, I'm even the speaker for the Dark Hand. Lucius was eaten alive a long time ago, and I became speaker. That was some crazy shit that happened then.

But that's the past. And I don't even think about the past. I live by my blade, which seeks no past, no future. Only present. I feed it like a pet. It seeps its way slowly into the body of a helpless victim. And eases out, like coming out of a warm bath of blood. I am an assassin.

The city's quiet today. I'm comfortable with that, though. I guess everyone is still scared to leave their home. I look to my right, and I see a charred body of a beggar laying on the sidewalk by the Tiber Septim Hotel. _That's good advertisement _I think to myself.

About every corner you turn around there's a dead body with a blanket over it. Damn guards don't know their limits. They're gonna kill the whole damn city. I considered leaving the city before and moving to Cheydinhall so I can be close to the Dark Brotherhood shrine and get away from this chaos, but I decided not to. The city is where I grew up, and where I will die. Still, looking at these dead men and women makes my blood boil. I'm not going to let this go.

Night falls upon the city. I look out the window of Jensine's shop. I like Jensine. She is very close to me and I am very close to her. We never get intimate though. We are only friends. I tell her I should go. I have an assassination target for tonight. I step outside of the shop. I love the night air. I love the way the gentle wind rubs softly against your face like a silk blanket. I'm a night person. I'm not a vampire though, I just love the darkness. It gives me a private place to think. To reflect upon everything. To strike my target and get away unnoticed. Yes. Night is my companion, my love.

Doil Hunt, one of the most corrupt guards you'll ever find, is supposed to be having a party tonight in the Imperial Palace. Hunt is commander of three guard posts in the city: the Arena, Market, and Elvin Districts. I have seen him murder a poor, helpless dark elf who didn't have 5 gold pieces to pay his taxes. Poor elf couldn't even fight back. A circle of people were watching, but no one helped. I should have struck. But it was too late. Hunt threw the elf to the wall, and forced his sword through the elf's torso. Some people cried, some just stayed there staring, and some ran off, desperate to find themselves 5 gold. This is how he earned the title of my new assassination target.

But now Hunt won't be able to do that anymore because he'll be DEAD. I'm not afraid to kill this son of a bitch. He's possessed by Satin and lives in fear of the Deadra. He no longer has a reason to live.

I can feel my sword eager for the strike as I approach the Imperial Palace. There are three guards blocking the entrance. _Damn it_. I walk out of site into the shadows (because the entrance was brightly illuminated). I take out my bow and an arrow. Not an enchanted one. I spot a guard standing about 50 yards away from the entrance. I pull back the string, and let it go. The arrow seeps through the guard's armor, and he falls. He's not dead. He will not die. As much as I would love to kill him, it is not against my will.

As expected, the guards guarding the entrance run over to the limp guard that lay on the ground. As they surround the bleeding body, I see this as my chance to sneak in. I walk slowly past the guards and sneak in through the entrance.

_Easier than I expected._

The ballroom was massive, and filled with guards, merchants, and rich citizens (the kind that the Imperialists wouldn't dare kill.) There were so many people I had to search for about an hour to find my target. I realized he had not entered yet. Shit. But I look to the front of the room. There is a small stage set up with a door behind it. Hunt will most likely be making a speech there. Great. Everything is coming out really well so far.

Just to do some examination, I look above me. _Perfect_. There are some pillars up there that I can easily access from the balcony to the right. I always scan the room before I kill. It's just the way I do things. I find the staircase that leads to the balcony. I climb them. I take a moment to look at the paintings hung on the walls. This must be some kind of gallery or something.

I always look at artwork. It inspires me, an artist to stretch my creativity beyond the limits. I am also a musician. I play my classical guitar through emotion and passion. I let all of my depressions and feelings go into the music and the art that I create. It is my life away from my life.

I eventually but had to struggle to peel my eyes off the artwork to scan the room some more. By the time I looked over the balcony, Hunt had come through the door and was standing on the stage. By the time that the first word came out of his mouth :"welcome!", all of the people on the balcony moved towards the rail to look.

_Damn it how am I supposed to get to those pillars with all of these people looking!?_ I decided to just be patient. And wait. I have learned that patience is the key to everything. So I use it to my advantage. Hunt begins his speech:

"Greetings, ladies and gentlemen! For your good, I will make this speech quick! We are gathered here in good tidings of this great new era of the Imperial City! I and my very respectful guards are making the city the most pleasant environment to live in. We do our exhausting part, and you do yours! Just pay your taxes! HAHA! Well, I do not wish to pester you anymore! Get on with your drinking, and have a wonderful time!"

Now's the time to strike. All of the people have left the railing of the balcony and are heading downstairs for wine and cheese.

Now's the fun part. I climb on top of the railing, and hold myself so my balance gets immune and steady. I spot my target, and be aware of his location at all times. He is talking with some senior guards. I look up, and spot the pillar I want to climb. I jump to it. I am now hanging on a pillar about 20 feet in the air. Damn someone has to see me.

I climb on top of the pillar. I am invisible. And Hunt is right below me. My dagger is getting even more anxious as the time draws near. I just need to wait until he is partially hidden. This could be awhile. Again, patience is the greatest weapon of an assassin.

This is it. Hunt has left his group of guards and is heading in the direction of a doorway that leads out of the room. I must strike before he enters the door. Now is the time. He is hidden from the crowd.

I pull out my dagger, leap from the pillar, and land on Hunt. I thrust the dagger into the back of his head. That was too easy. No one even saw me. But I must leave quickly. I begin to jog through the crowd, pushing any bastards in my way. I get to the main entrance and walk out like a normal person. My dagger is satisfied, and so am I.

Ten minutes later I arrive at my shack on the waterfront. My bedroll greets me warmly, and I drift to a deep sleep, complemented by a warm, crackling fire.

Just another day in the life.


End file.
